Software Engineer, Workday
Context and Semantics (AI)
$148-222k
Office located in Pleasanton, CA
Enterprise AI platform for managing HR, finance & IT
Open for applications
Enterprise AI platform for managing HR, finance & IT
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$148-222k
Office located in Pleasanton, CA
1001+ employees
Company mission
To leverage the power of AI to elevate humans and supercharge work, moving business forever forward.
Role
Who you are
- 3+ years of professional software engineering experience focusing on backend development, microservices, or data systems
- 2+ years of strong hands-on programming skills in Java, Python, Scala, or Go
- 1+ year of demonstrated coursework, personal projects, or professional exposure to AI/ML concepts, LLM APIs, Vector Databases, or RAG architectures
- Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or an equivalent technical field
- Solid foundation in computer science fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, distributed systems concepts, and API design (REST/gRPC)
- Familiarity with SQL, relational databases, or distributed data processing engines (e.g., Trino, Presto, Spark)
- Understanding of modern cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP) and CI/CD development workflows
- Fast learner with strong problem-solving skills and a passion for staying up-to-date with emerging AI technologies
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with a team-first, collaborative mindset
What the job involves
- As a Software Development Engineer in Context and Semantics, you will be a core backend builder helping to develop the data and context infrastructure powering Workday’s AI Agents
- Working alongside senior engineers and technical leads, you will write clean, scalable code that connects large language models to complex enterprise data stores
- In this role, you will implement components for advanced RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines, integrate vector databases, and help build query federation services (eg , Trino/LDQ) that route requests between transactional and analytical systems
- We are looking for an energetic, curious, and detail-oriented backend software engineer who is eager to solve complex data challenges and build cutting-edge AI platform features at scale
- Feature Development & Coding: Design, develop, and test scalable backend microservices, APIs, and data pipelines powering the context and semantic layer for AI Agents
- RAG & Vector Search Implementation: Help build and maintain enterprise RAG pipelines, including embedding workflows, document chunking strategies, and vector database integrations (e.g., Pinecone, Milvus, Elasticsearch)
- Query & Semantic Integration: Support the development of distributed query execution features (leveraging technologies like Trino) to retrieve enterprise data securely for LLMs
- LLM & Agentic Workflows: Implement orchestration logic and context-management components using modern AI frameworks (e.g., LlamaIndex, LangChain) to support multi-turn agent interactions
- Data Security & Governance: Ensure all code adheres to strict enterprise standards around data privacy, tenant isolation, and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Operational Excellence: Write thorough unit and integration tests, participate in code reviews, and help maintain high system reliability, low latency, and robust operational monitoring
- Collaborative Execution: Partner closely with Senior Engineers, Product Managers, and team leads to break down technical requirements into well-executed code deliverables
Our take
Workday is a cloud-based software vendor that provides management of workforces and finances. The company uses a single database for workforce management and financial management to offer integration and optimize business intelligence across companies. It has added to the packages and tools it offers over the years, providing analytic options that allow companies to combine third-party data with information collected by Workday.
The company has also grown through acquisitions and partnerships to broaden its capabilities. Most recently, in 2025 it purchases Sana, an AI-driven enterprise knowledge and learning platform, to create a "new front door for work". This acquisition allows Workday to integrate Sana's AI-powered search, agents, and learning capabilities with its own data and workflows, allowing employees to access information, automate tasks, and complete their day entirely within Workday.
Through a combination of strategic acquisitions and in-house development, Workday has built a comprehensive suite of HR, financial, and enterprise tools. By focusing on innovation and AI-driven workflows, the company continues to push productivity and decision-making for organizations worldwide. Building on this track record, Workday is very much positioned for even more growth, reinforcing its status as a leader in shaping the future of work.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
16% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Oct 2011
$85m
SERIES F
Apr 2009
$75m
SERIES E
Total funding: $215.3m
Company HQ
Pleasanton, CA
Leadership
Aneel Bhusri
(Co-Founder & CEO)Annel began their career at Morgan Stanley as a Corporate Finance Analyst. They then spent nearly 6 years at PeopleSoft as a Senior VP before co-founding Workday in 2005.
Salary benchmarks
We don't have enough data yet to provide salary benchmarks for this role.
Submit your salary to help other candidates with crowdsourced salary estimates.
Share this job
View 114 more jobs at Workday